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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. shower — rain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bound — obliged
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — clever
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stand — to bear
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. shower — to wash
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com